This week I’ve had a couple people come to me with vertigo so I thought I would chat more to you about it and actually explain what it is.
Vertigo is a common complaint, especially after head and neck trauma.
It may come from problems in the inner ear, or from disturbances in pathways in the nervous system. The experience can impact your whole world, causing nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
The inner ear houses the body’s true balance center, the vestibulocochlear system.
Sounds complex doesn’t it? Well let me explain that further for you.
This complex system of fluid-filled tubes lined with hair-like sensors provides information to the central nervous system about position and movement.
In some individuals, debris may accumulate in there. If this debris settles on sensitive areas within the tubes, it may result in vertigo.
If the patient’s vertigo appears to be coming from the inner ear, I may use the Epley Maneuver to reposition the debris to a different position.
Exercises like the Brandt-Daroff technique have the person sit on the edge of a bed and flop first to one side, back upright, then to the other side at one-minute intervals.
Did you know that Tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, and other substances that stimulate or depress the nervous system may become triggers.